Ask David!: Has the time come for Detroit Pistons to part company with Rodney Stuckey?

Rodney Stuckey has taken his lumps in six years with the Detroit Pistons.The Associated Press

CHICAGO -- Greetings from the NBA Draft Combine, where everybody who's anybody in professional basketball circles has gathered. The playoffs are churning toward a conclusion. The NBA Draft Lottery is Tuesday. The Detroit Pistons still don't have a coach.

There's plenty to talk about in this week's version of "Ask David" questions on Pistons-related topics.

For inclusion in next week's version, email your questions to dmayo@mlive.com and put "Ask David" in the subject line.

Hefty inbox today after taking last Friday off, so let's start:

Q: Hi David, I'm Dor from Israel, a huge Pistons fan and like to read your chats for a while. I wanted to know what is your opinion on trading Stuckey this summer. I mean, we lack a consistent scoring threat and Stuckey has "excelled" in being inconsistent. I think it's time for him to go, and time to bring a veteran point guard to back up Knight (or re-sign Jose Calderon), new wing players (like O.J. Mayo or Kevin Martin), and get Bynum back. I don't like Stuckey's attitude and inconsistency. Question is, do you agree with me, and what do you think we could get back for Stuckey this summer? -- Dor Erlich, Israel

Q: Do you think the Pistons will pick up the second year on Kim English and Slava Kravtsov? Also Vince Ellis at the Free Press sees Stuckey as being gone next year, do you concur? -- Marvin

A: Sorry to lump you guys together but you're obviously wavelengthing together. So it's pick-on-Stuckey day, huh? That's OK. He's a big boy and he's bought and paid for it with his inconsistency over time, as Dor noted.

Stuckey is the Piston most likely to be traded for several reasons. He's just so explosive that if he could ever put it all together and stay engaged, he could be a dynamic force on any team. His contract expires after next season, so some teams would find it attractive to deal a longer-term contract for Stuckey, and the Pistons have the financial room to absorb one. He could prove to be a vital piece in the remaking of the Pistons' roster because of his trade value and contract situation.

And there's this, too: Part of the mandate when Tom Gores bought the team two years ago was to get rid of the bad guys, or guys perceived as such, after the bizarre and mutinous conclusion to John Kuester's coaching tenure just before Gores' purchase. Ben Gordon, the best 3-point shooter, and Tayshaun Prince, the best perimeter defender, were traded away in salary-cap deals. Those moves were formulated by Joe Dumars, yes, but trading Gordon and Prince were dictated by Gores. Stuckey is the most likely candidate to join the list next.

As to Marvin's question on English and Kravtsov, it's a dicey situation for both and depends largely upon the draft, especially for Kravtsov. Barring a draft-night trade, if the Pistons draft a big, the only way to keep Kravtsov, whose $1.5 million contract can be bought out before the end of June for $500,000, is if they amnesty Charlie Villanueva. The Pistons have five bigs (Andre Drummond, Greg Monroe, Jonas Jerebko, Villanueva and Kravtsov) and will not carry a sixth. To Kravtsov's advantage, to what degree the Pistons make moves through free agency and trades, big men figure to be a somewhat lesser priority, and there's always the possibility that Villanueva gets traded or amnestied.

English isn't in a great spot but that could evolve. The Pistons are looking for backcourt help and English has a non-guaranteed contract. They would like him back but golfers would like to carry more than 14 clubs, too. English's specific problem is that the Pistons are looking for help at his position and they will use every avenue, including free agency and trades, to find it. Then there's that extra draft pick the Pistons got from a four-year-old trade with the Clippers, No. 55 overall in the second round. That makes three draft picks to make room for and the guy who costs zero to release is never in a good spot when you're running out of musical chairs. The upside for English? His contract is manageable, the Pistons need guards, and if they reach for big names in the open markets, they'll need some guys working for less.

Q: Do you think there will be good possibilities to trade Charlie Villanueva's expiring contract this summer or will the Pistons need to wait until trade deadline? Does Villanueva have any trade value left, other than his expiring contract? -- Gabriel

A: The value in Villanueva, for another team, comes in the possibility of dumping a longer-term contract, Gabriel. While that might be associated with another team dumping a problem player, there may be much broader scenarios in the trade market because of the several teams bumping into luxury-tax problems, some of them severe problems. Villanueva has value for that reason, both now and at the trade deadline. Other than that, would you want to pay him almost $8.6 million next year?

Q: Hey David, I have been really enjoying the NBA playoffs, to me they have gone as expected so far (especially with the Westbrook injury), I still see a Heat-Spurs finals with the Heat repeating as champions. What is your take on the playoffs so far and who do you see meeting up in the finals and who you think wins the championship? Now on to the Pistons, assuming the Pistons don’t win the lottery, who do you see as the main targets at No. 7 and maybe with their two picks in round two? To me a lot depends on if the Pistons are able to re-sign El Talento (Jose Calderon). One person I would not target is Trey Burke, sorry I’m not a fan of him. If I wanted a point guard I would target Michael Carter-Williams, the 6-6 point guard out of Syracuse or the man that I have seen many times in person, Ray McCallum Jr., the point guard out of Detroit Mercy (UDM listed him at 6-3). Like I said, I have seen McCallum a ton and he is the real deal and would look great in a Pistons uniform. Finally, I was very pleased to see that the Pistons interviewed Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer (this is the man that I have wanted since the day the Pistons let Lawrence Frank go), what is your take on Budenholzer and the chances the Pistons hire him as their next head coach? Thanks and God Bless. -- Jeff

A: On the playoffs, Jeff, it's a shame what happened to Russell Westbrook but the Memphis Grizzlies are a team built for the playoffs and they're showing it. Funny how Prince was a guy most everyone in Detroit wanted run out of town, and then when it happened, the Pistons' perimeter defense was left tattered and the Grizzlies became conference finalists, huh? The western playoffs have been every bit the bloodbath we expected. No big surprises in the east except for how bad New York's bench has been over the course of the Indiana series. Neither one of those teams extends Miami seven games, and maybe not six. But either series would be intriguing, because of Indiana's size and the chance the Knicks don't miss. A good championship series against either western team but Miami wins again.

Nothing new on the coaching search recently involving Budenholzer, the San Antonio assistant, or anyone else. But if it's Budenholzer or Indiana assistant Brian Shaw, a formal offer might not come until their playoff runs are over anyway.

Q: David, the NBA playoffs have been must-see TV for me. Thank you for giving us basketball junkies our Pistons fix during the offseason. Things may change between now and the upcoming NBA Draft but it looks like the following players may be gone before the Pistons pick, assuming we stay put at No. 7: Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore, Otto Porter, Trey Burke and Victor Oladipo. If this is the case do you think there is any chance the Pistons would consider Alex Len? He may have the highest ceiling of anyone in this draft. Does Joe have the luxury of looking long term with a Len pick or does his precarious situation necessitate addressing an immediate need? Len could solidify our front court for years to come. Thank you. - Dennis

A: As you noted, the five players you mentioned may all be gone by No. 7, if that's where the Pistons pick. But someone always slips. Porter still could slide to seven. So could Burke. And Shabazz Muhammad isn't on the list.

That said, the Pistons have so many holes to fill that they wouldn't pass up a talented big man just to draft a perimeter player they didn't like as much. Len, the Maryland center, figures to be available when the Pistons pick, although whoever drafts him will have to do it without seeing him in workouts after he had surgery two weeks ago for a stress fracture in his left ankle. If the Pistons drafted Len, they could bolster the interior on a rookie contract and buy out Kravtsov in an inexpensive, apples-to-apples roster move. They could trade or amnesty Villanueva with more confidence and go with Monroe and Jerebko as power forwards. Could Len be in their sights? Absolutely. Do GMs have questions about him that they would have preferred to resolve through individual workouts? They sure do.

Q: Hi David, from one writer to the other, great job covering the team. Here's my question/thought: I'm not so much interested in who you feel the Pistons might logically go after this summer with all that cap space, but more who you think they should go after, based on team needs, likely asking price, and potential to help take this team to the next level. I read a lot about O.J. Mayo and Gerald Henderson, for example, but they both seem like significant "I got my payday" gambles to me, and like players incapable of really elevating this team with their play and leadership. Henderson put up decent, inconsistent numbers on a very bad Bobcats team and seems more like a sixth man, and Mayo ... he just makes me nervous. There are others, of course, who Detroit is rumored to be interested in. It's a slow time of the year (right?) -- play GM for a minute. What two or three moves do you try to make? Thanks for your thoughts. -- Brian

A: If you get into the free-agent game, you're going to overspend for someone, Brian. Doesn't mean you can't get production from him, just that it might not match his salary, though you certainly don't want it to reach the Gordon or Villanueva level.

I'm not big on Henderson but Mayo offers 3-point shooting the Pistons didn't have last year. Is Mayo an eight-figure player? Marginally, maybe. Is he worth much more than the $4 million he made last year? Definitely. It's going to take a sizable contract to get him. Would I spend big on Mayo before I offered a maximum contract for Josh Smith? With the Pistons' needs, absolutely.

There are so many variables that it becomes nearly impossible to judge what the Pistons do, especially in using all that cap space in the trade market. But since you asked what I'd do, here goes.

I would re-sign either Jose Calderon or Will Bynum but not both, and actually would prefer Bynum. That gives me some flexibility with Brandon Knight, pending what happens in the pursuit of a shooting guard. You won't like it, but I would look to buy a Mayo or Martin. I'd also consider, based on finances, spending on Tony Allen instead, locking down the perimeter, and we play it ugly. Failing that, I'd try to get some equivalency in trades involving my big expiring contracts, Stuckey and Villanueva. I'd call the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors and every other team smacking into luxury-tax problems and make every favorable offer I could, and listen to every GM's sweat droplets hit the telephone receiver, and laugh every time it happened, because no one wants to pay that $2.50-to-$1 tax for the worst regular cap offenders.

I'd resign myself to the reality that this won't all be fixed this summer, or by next February's trade deadline. The biggest needs are a point guard, a range-shooting guard and a top small forward. The first one is the most difficult to address. The last one may be the easiest, particularly with some hope that last year's rookies Kyle Singler and Khris Middleton could be long-term NBA players at that position. I'd start trying to trade Stuckey on draft week, I'd draft the best player available because the only position where the Pistons are really set is power forward, and I'd make sure I addressed both the shooting guard and small forward needs this offseason.

Ask me June 28 and I'll have a different answer.

Q: First time writing to you, so if you answer, thanks for that. I am curious if you have any "outside-of-the-box" ideas for people Dumars might target through free agency or trades? I read the obvious Josh Smith, O.J. Mayo, etc. all the time but was hoping you might have a few people that could really improve the team but might not be on the fans' radars. I know trades are hard to come up with but a few thoughts on trades you would like to see that are reasonable would be great to hold me over until the drafts. Thanks for your hard work. -- James

A: Well, Michael Jordan's retired. I don't think Chris Paul is coming to Detroit. I'm not big on much of anyone internationally right now but a lot of people like the center Rudy Gobert in the draft.

I think Randy Foye would be a good pickup for the right team and could help the Pistons. He's an unrestricted free agent. So is Keyon Dooling, if you're looking to shore up the backcourt without breaking the bank and save that money for other spots. Like you said, James, there's so much focus on Smith's free agency that Atlanta's other free agents go overlooked. Kyle Korver could address the Pistons' glaring lack of 3-point shooting with one signing, and also is an unrestricted free agent. So is Devin Harris, another point guard on the open market.

If you want to restore some of the toughness the Pistons will lose without Jason Maxiell, Kenyon Martin is available after the Knicks picked him up at the end of the season. Chris "Birdman" Andersen is unrestricted in Miami. Chris Kaman might like to finish his career in his home state, too.

Q: I love the work that you do for us sports fans. What coach would you like to see the Pistons hire? And what type of moves would you like to see the Pistons make to turn this team into playoff contenders? Is there a player the Pistons should pursue during free agency or the draft that would make us a better team? -- Barron Hudson, Detroit

A: I thought Nate McMillan would have been a good choice for a new coach, Barron. But he's interviewing here, there and everywhere. Budenholzer would be a good hire among the assistant coach candidates. Shaw fits the Pistons' profile more, though. If the next coach isn't a former NBA player, I'll be surprised.

Just a thought on the draft, sure, it's possible that all of the top 10 players, or virtually all, are perimeter players. It's also possible that a few teams go for the milk and leave the cream of the big men on top. Len or Rudy Gobert, in gambling parlance, may be the underlays of the draft.

-- Have a Pistons-related question for MLive Media Group beat writer David Mayo? Email it to dmayo@mlive.com with "Ask David" in the subject line.